Lowell the Third
by Felinis
Summary: Renowned legendary thief Yuri Lowell the Third is a man unrivaled in the world who can steal anything and everything. Flynn Scifo is a rookie Interpol inspector recently assigned to his case and out to catch Yuri Lowell no matter what. Meanwhile the score of a lifetime rears it's head when a rich heiress disappears without a trace leaving a single note behind.
1. Chapter 1

**Felinis: Why yes, I am aware I have 5 other fics to work on, but this important to me goddammit. Also the best part in all of this is knowing the word Lupin and Lowell mean the same thing. Haha... I don't know why that makes happy but it does**

There was something about stealing jewels in particular that sent a particular thrill down his spine when he pulled them out from behind the glass and held them in his hand. Perhaps it was the uniqueness of each piece that carried its own unrivaled shimmering beauty? Or maybe the tactile sensation as they entered his gloved hands. Could it by chance be that the job tended to get on the outlandish side depending on how rare the piece thus giving him a sporting challenge? Maybe it was the simple sparkle and gaudiness of it all?

Either way, Yuri Lowell the Third found at the end of the day he always enjoyed a good jewel heist. Especially if it meant he got to rob from a rich pompous fellow who clearly thought if they threw enough money into their security system they could keep him out. The bigger the asshole the more fun it was to watch the frustration on everyone's face when Yuri made off with the prize.

On his finger, he twirled a gold bracelet covered in small pearls and laid with a ruby the size of his thumb in the center. It was by far one of the gaudiest things he'd seen in ages. "Oh, you are going on my wrist." He mused as he slid it on and calmly perused more wares while next to him the loud sound of various pieces being stuffed into a bag next to him turned his head.

"Yuri, hurry up before the security comes." The young pre-pubescent boy dressed in purposely inconspicuous clothes hissed as he gathered his loot. Yuri hummed and picked up what was obviously a faked diamond ring and pretended to expect it carefully as he glanced around the room. No, this wasn't the real treasure and he was aware. After all, security had been disturbingly lax and aside from the bracelet nothing likely was real outside of a few bits meant to distract and grab his attention.

This was indeed a trap and Yuri was aware of it and had been aware of it the moment they broke in. But, avoiding this delay was a bigger hassle then it was worth, so he waited for the enemy to finally jump from the shadows. Besides, Yuri grinned tossing and catching the diamond in his hand, "Now Karol, the most important part in all of this is what?"

"Uh…?"

"An audience, kid." His arm twisted into a backswing as the false gemstone struck hard against the policeman standing creeping around the corner creating a small gasp of pain.

"Shit." Someone shouted as the lights flashed on creating the briefest discomfort, the room revealing a good twenty-or-so armed policemen circling around them.

Karol dropped the bag in his hand crouching a little in fear. "Crap, what do we do?"

Yuri slowly reached for the gun at his side when he heard a trigger cock in his direction. "Hold it right there Lowell." A middle-aged man bellowed as he approached. Ah, right on schedule. Here was Interpol inspector Leblanc to try and catch and throw him in jail just as always.

"Leblanc, happy to see you as always. How's the wife and kids?"

"Save the jokes! You can stall all you want but nobody is going to come rescue you this time." Yuri raised a brow and did his best not to laugh. Please, if this was the setup they went with they were going to be just fine. "Keep your eye on the kid too. Until they're in jail don't even think of dropping your guard even an ounce."

Yuri kept his hands raised as he drifted his eyes lazily around the room waiting for the opening. He expected more considering the target and now he was a little bummed. What's a poor crook to do? As the police came forward Yuri finally decided enough was enough and clicked his tongue over a tiny guard over the roof of his mouth releasing a small capsule in his mouth.

3

The Leblanc whipped out his handcuffs

2

The gun was still cautiously aimed at his face as Yuri playfully held his hands forward

1

He bit into the capsule and immediately spat in Leblanc's face watching him recoil as the smoke spilled out filling the room. Yuri grabbed at Karol's hand telling him to leave the crap. Judy would have already gotten most of the real treats by now anyway so no point sticking around waiting to get caught. They ran down the hallways past startled guards and avoiding the bullets that were flying by.

With a quick leap through the window, they jumped from the second story window and landed unsteadily on a small ledge below. A nod passed between them as Karol slid down a few feet before jumping followed shortly by himself. "Raven we're out. Did Judith get to the car already?" Karol radioed in on his walkie-talkie

"Oh yes. I have some present for when you get back." A sweet feminine voice called over and Yuri smiled. Playing bait wasn't usually his thing, but for Judith he was willing. "We're bringing the car 'round."

"Excellent. See ya then." Yuri grinned as they ran towards the open road ducking around a corner once or twice to till they spotted a navy convertible with a red hood parked at the side. The doors opened as the car started slowly taking off in their direction. The hood pulled down as a woman with long indigo hair tied in a tight bun stretched out a hand.

"Come on in boys!" Yuri yanked on her arm pulling himself in as Karol struggled to reach over the side with his short legs before being pulled inside the car. "Thanks for playing decoy."

Yuri huffed a little as he climbed into the passenger seat next to a gruff fellow smoking a cigarette at the wheel. "For a pretty gal like yourself Judy." Yuri looked at the open carton next to Raven on the dashboard. "Ooh, don't mind if I have one of these?"

Raven passed over the box as Yuri set on pulling the hood back up for once they got on the road. "Yeah sure."

Karol groaned in his seat as the blare of sirens from behind followed nearby. "They're gaining on us."

"I'll pull into a place ta hide," Raven said as he turned the corner and sped under a bridge before shifting left onto the lane that would take them out of the district and get them out of Leblanc's range.

"So Judy what you got for me tonight? It better be nice." Yuri said half-joking as he took a drag from his cigarette.

Judy smirked as she pulled up a small box into her lap. "Most of what they had was just standard, but I found some trinkets that might interest you." Yuri let out a mock 'oh' because obviously he knew going in what he was after and he had made it very clear to Judy that if she stiffed him on this there'd be hell to pay. "How about one of the famously missing Fabergé eggs?"

She tossed to him in a purposely reckless manner and only due to years of reflexes caught the delicate piece of art and he stared at the beautiful craftsmanship and fine colors that held up over the years. Inside a miniature bust sits as the surprise. "Oh Judy, you shouldn't have!"

"Well in that case-"

"And by that I mean, I'm very much keeping this. The Alexander III Commemorative egg! How could anyone not expect me to steal this beauty?" Yuri whistled a Fabergé egg and a new bracelet- nice! When he'd learned there was a real McCoy hidden in that rich asshat's mansion then he knew he had no choice but to steal it for himself. Even if that meant pretending he was after something as simple as a large diamond necklace.

"Hey what about me? What do I get?" Karol exclaimed as Judy dug through the box.

A light banter ensued as Judy bartered back and forth with apprentice over who got what. Karol inspecting a fair amount of the items and claiming that he wanted a few particular pieces for their higher quality gemstone while she cited aesthetic. The two settling on each picking a piece from the pile over the hoard equally till nothing remained but a Cheshire grin on Karol's face. They finally pulled into one of the various locations they'd set up as hideouts for after they finished the heist and escorted themselves joyfully into the room.

It was a good haul. An easy job. Yuri sat on the bed and lit up another smoke tapping the ash away every few seconds onto the floor. It had been boring. "That was too easy."

"Well, ya did play bait and that doesn't mean you do much most times," Raven noted as he set down dinner for everyone.

He sat up crouched on his knees in frustration. "No, I mean it was too easy! Leblanc didn't even put up a decent fight tonight."

Karol took a large bite of his dinner and chewed a moment. "Isn't it a good thing that was easy? It means we win!"

"I mean, it's nice to get a lazy win every once in a while but lately all we get is lazy wins!" Yuri exclaimed dropping the cigarette on the floor leaving Judy to crush it under her heel. "Where's the challenge? The excitement? The fear of death and smug asshole I get to beat into the ground?"

"So what you're saying is, you're bored." Judy snorted as she took a sip from a recently poured glass of wine.

* * *

It sounded petty and dumb in that context, but by god yes! Yuri was bored out of his mind by these last few thefts in how easy they were. Even when he gave himself a handicap he got away far too easy for his own comfort. He's a master thief but the last few cases he pulled were simple enough that Karol could probably handle them on his own no problem. Yuri has lots of reasons for being a renowned thief but one that always stood out was the thrill of the chase. Walking the razor's edge where one wrong move would get him killed and knowing the end of the line was five steps behind him.

Leblanc used to surprise him but these days he seems off and no longer able to keep up with him. Maybe he needed to find a real challenge? Something no one would touch if they had any sense to them.

Something fun.

Bored… Flynn Scifo, rookie Interpol inspector was bored. The problem came down to despite being an amateur on the force he was quickly soaring up the chain of recognition for his fast work in solving his work due to his quick wit. It couldn't be helped if he was simply brilliant and that was the case.

Murder, robbery, espionage, missing person

Flynn could solve it all at a swift enough pace once he was on the job and that was the problem. Which felt wrong because it shouldn't be the case. Flynn was a man of the people and a man of justice who did his job to help people. Not because it was fun or because he felt like it. No, that defeated the point in a sense of justice if one did good on a whim.

He couldn't lie and say there wasn't anything fun in his job either in the buildup. There was a certain joy in lying in wait for an enemy to blunder and end up in handcuffs. A buzz in knowing the world was a better place at the end of his exploits!

But, and here's the rub… lately, nothing challenged him and it left him feeling disturbingly sour. Flynn was a professional for Pete's sake! He should have more grit then to be brought down in his performances by something as simple as boredom.

He sighed leaning back in his desk chair his hands filling out the last of the paperwork leftover from his previous case involving serial killer in Cambodia. "What in the world is wrong with me?"

"Something the matter Rookie?" A voice pulled Flynn from his musing startling him straight as he saw inspector Leblanc staring down at him.

Flynn straightened immediately and coughed nervously. "I- sir! What can I help you with?"

"Oh, nothing really. You just seemed out of it for a change." Leblanc pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. "What's the matter?"

"Um, I feel embarrassed to say…" Flynn muttered but Leblanc gestured for him to spit it out. "Lately nothing has challenged me. It's all been rather easy and I'm worried it's warping my sense of morality and the like."

Leblanc snorted and crossed his arms a wide grin spreading on his face. "Ah, the six-month slump."

"Pardon?"

"It's a term we use when talking about work complacency. Basically, everyone hits a slump, usually around the six-month mark, at work and just finds boredom is bringing them down." Leblanc said casually.

Well, at least this was normal and not a sign that Flynn was losing his morals. "How do I fix it?"

"You need a change of pace. Something to mix things up a little." Leblanc stroked at his chin before lighting up with some sort of idea. "I know! You can join me on the Lowell the Third chase."

But, that was a renowned job in Interpol. Everyone at worked talked of the importance and notoriety in being one of the people assigned to hunt down the renowned criminal whose family had been escaping their clutches for generations and robbing the world blind. Yuri Lowell the Third was one of the worst of the worst. He was also impossible to catch. The only man who ever made any headline on that front was inspector Leblanc.

"I couldn't possibly-"

"Nonsense!" Leblanc cheered slapping him on the back. "Trust me, chasing down Lowell will get a spark back in you so don't say no."

Flynn struggled to voice his gratitude as Leblanc walked away saying simple words like 'see you on the force' or 'happy to have you'. Either way, Flynn was left with slight shock and a giddy glee. Imagine if Flynn could succeed in catching Yuri Lowell… He'd be a hero and more importantly, so many people would be made safe once the guy was behind bars. The more he thought the more an obnoxious grin took over his face at the idea of how hard it would be to catch the elusive thief.

"Wait," he called, "Do we have any current leads on where he'll strike next?"

Leblanc paused and his brain ground over the question a good few minutes. "Hmm, can't really say. It's usually better to wait for him to make the first move rather than run around chasing after him. Don't worry about it too much. Yuri Lowell always shows up when something shiny catches his eye."

Flynn tapped idly on the desk as Leblanc left with his index finger. But, why wait? Surely there was a way to find the movements of this notorious criminal just like any other that nobody had caught onto. He pulled up Yuri's files and started scrolling looking for any connection he could grasp.

That was the thing about Yuri Lowell the Third though, he had a pattern of what he liked to steal but when was random As he leafed through he noted that there was a more particular fondness for antiquities rather than money… More importantly, if the last few notes were anything to go by then he was just as bored as Flynn.

Walking into traps on purpose like that was simply asking to be caught but he was. Which meant, a smirk took Flynn's lips, he had a lead.

He needed to look for something dangerous. Something off-road.

Something fun.

* * *

Across the world in a small country in a large mansion a kidnapping was in progress of the heiress to the grand Heurassein estate. Screams as the young woman kicked and struggled against her captors as they dragged her away and covering her mouth in a cloth doused in chloroform.

The mansion untouched aside from a small note "I will own that which the Heurasseins stole from myself"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Text**

 **Felinis:** **I have not left my house to do anything other than chores and errand runs more than 4 times in over a month and it's starting to drive me crazy. also i'm not used to the fact that people read my stuff despite it being obvious by hits and all that**

The long open road stretched before them as the motor on the car hummed softly with music on the radio. Yuri's feet lay on the dashboard as he lazily looked out the window and debated for might be the hundredth time of just getting a biplane like Judy for whenever they decided to go cross-country.

The ba and bums of the song came in and he also questioned why he let Raven pick out the music. "Why Tom Jones? Why?"

Raven just clicked his tongue and shook his head in disdain. "Kid, kid, when you plan road trip music ya have to listen ta the car and think what does she want? What music does she crave today in the now?"

"And sometimes that means you play shitty k-pop and expect me somehow not to mock you."

Karol sat in the back reading a book before glancing up slightly. "How 'bout some Sinatra or Beatles?"

"Does this look like a Sinatra road to you?" Raven quipped gesturing at the green scenery that stretched before them.

Karol did stop to look outside before saying, "Yeah, you're right. This is a Tom Jones road."

Yuri groaned and decided he needed a smoke if he was going to deal with his two favorite weirdos. And why does Raven have to call him kid? There's not that big of an age gap between them but then again Yuri has a young face and does get mistaken for being in his late teens on occasion. Personally, he doesn't see it.

"Where are we even going?"

Where? Well, if Yuri is honest with himself, and he usually is since it tends to be more of pain lying to himself on obvious matters then he'd prefer, he has no idea where in the world they are going. Right now he is waiting for his next case to find him and for fate to hand him a challenge because with his luck something will happen. The real debate was on if that something turned out to be fortune or the worst kind of misstep. For the moment they'd just drive until they found that inevitable adventure that awaited them.

Raven reached under Yuri's legs into the glove box and pulled a large map. The car swerved to the left as he unfurled the map and looked it over. "Well, according ta the map we're going to be driving through the country of Zaphias very soon."

"Zaphias, huh? I don't think I've heard of it before." Karol hummed as he reached over the back of Raven's seat and yanked the map into his hands. "Woah, is that it? It's tiny!"

"Yep, it's one of the smallest in the world. It's only got three cities and barely a hundred thousand people. Mostly it gets buy on tourism and wineries these days." Yuri yawns as he recalls one of the many facts that he's drilled in his head over the years in the event he'll need them. "Hard to believe it was once an empire at one point."

He lets out a long drag smoke billowing out the cracked window. In truth, he's been there a few times over the years if for nothing but to just enjoy some peace. If there's anything the country is it's scenic to a point it lulls folks into laziness.

The open plains on the side of the road seem to go forever and it's only when they pass under a bridge does the dirt road give way to paved streets and a rustic setting. Old brick buildings cramped on narrow streets in a variety of colors and a smell that comes into the car of a restaurant.

"Something smells delicious!" Karol chirps as the car jerks a little on the cobblestone.

A hum of agreement sweeps through the car as Raven points at a restaurant on the corner. "Hey, why not stop there and grab a bite to eat?" They nod and the convertible parks perfectly off to the side of another building a block away.

"While we're at why not enjoy the town while we're here. See the sights?" Yuri adds as they get out giving their legs a good stretch.

"Really?" Karol's face lights up and he runs to the trunk pulling out a camera bag from the mess they have back there that is only kept in any sense of order by the kid. He sets it around his neck and puffs up his chest proudly marching down the street on the lookout for good photos.

He's a good kid.

Raven makes sure to keep pace with Karol but always falters back to give him room to walk without being coddled. Occasionally pointing out something Karol might find interesting along the way lengthening the short walk.

The restaurant is a small brick building that looks like it's seen better days with a chipped oak wooden sign reading "The Comet Inn and Dining". The inside itself is cramped with wooden beams coming out of the walls and tables pressed tightly together full of chatting patrons with a bar in the back that seemed to serve coffee as well as alcohol. It smelled even nicer insider and a waitress walking by looked at them and told them to find a table and sit down.

It was the kind of place Yuri always enjoyed.

The waiter offered a menu that was small as can be and mostly consisted of simple dishes that anyone could make but still sounded absolutely divine. The three sat around enjoying their meal with Raven happily pouring wine for everyone at the table- giving a wink to Karol as he filled the glass.

"I think I'll get some coffee."

Yuri stood and wormed his way over the bar absentmindedly asking some good old café au lait. As he stood waiting he noted the man next to him jittering impatiently at the bartender.

"Excuse me, but what do you mean you don't have a Zinfandel?" The blonde man in front hissed at the bartender.

"I mean, we don't have yer fancy wine. We got Merlot and we got a Chardonnay. Will any of that do?"

He huffed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Fine. Merlot is good."

"Hey, can I get a coffee when you're done with this guy?" Yuri said and the bartender gave a quick thumbs up as he started pouring a glass of red wine. As he leaned onto the bar he noted that Blondie kept glancing his way. "So, out of towner?"

Blondie startled. "Oh, yes. Here on work." He took his glace swirling and giving it a light whiff before downing most of it. "Well, that was shit wine. What about you? Tourist or…?"

"Tourist at the moment." Yuri chuckled standing up so he could fully look Blondie in the eye. Kind of the ideal blonde pretty boy type right down to the bluer than blue eyes. Though the flawlessness was broken by the faint trace of freckles on his cheeks on his slightly tanned skin. "Though I am technically here on work, for now, I'm just taking in the sights."

Blondie narrowed his eyes as Yuri took his cup of coffee and set down a few bills. "Is that so. What do you for a living?"

"Why don't you tell me first," Yuri smirked as he sipped his drink.

"Interpol. More of a desk jockey than a proper officer or an inspector." Well, that was bullshit. Yuri had been around long enough to know that desk jockeys didn't usually leave town for work nor did they tend to be as in shape as this guy was. Nah, this guy definitely did fieldwork.

"I'm an art curator. Currently, my boss is thinking of seeing about obtaining some art from the Heurasseins collections." It's not entirely a lie. There is a wealthy family in Zaphias who are known around the world for their extensive art collection that they loan to museums and the public at a reasonable rate and is always open to for viewing. The family is also rich as hell to boot. Yuri had considered at least stopping by one of their local exhibits and seeing if anything caught his eyes though he rather not steal from them. Yuri's not fond of stealing from relatively honest people as it tends to put a sour taste in his mouth. The Heurasseins are renowned for historical preservation and the good work they do for art history and as much as Yuri loves some of their pieces he's never had the heart to steal from people who care about their work that much.

There's also the fact that Yuri does indeed manage an art collection that just happens to be made of mostly stolen goods. Someone has to have the decency to fund new independent artists from time to time.

Blondie hummed and took the last sip of his wine before setting down the glass. "Then the news must have been quite the shock to you."

"What news?"

"The current heir of the house Lady Estellise went missing three days ago," Blondie said and he ground his teeth. "The only lead we have was a note claiming vengeance against the Heurasseins."

Yuri almost dropped his cup. "Seriously!"

"Yes, it's extremely distressing for everyone."

"And you really only have one lead?"

"Sadly, yes. It's got everyone a little on edge at moment." He crossed his arms and took a seat at one of the bar stools. "Say, how familiar would you say you are with the Heurasseins collection?"

He mulled that over a second. "Oh well enough. Any reason?"

"Well, I figured you of anyone might have an idea of a piece the Heurasseins could have possibly stolen."

He laughed because the idea that nothing in that collection wasn't stolen or smuggled was absurdly ridiculous. "You realize that they've been art collectors as far back as the 1300s? The family has in the business so long that wouldn't surprise me if a good chunk of those paintings from WWII were taken off some poor Jew's walls on a whim. The Heurasseins are an _old_ family. If they didn't have a few skeletons in their closet I'd be amazed."

Hell, they were miraculous just on the grounds of surviving as long as they did without selling or losing the stuff in the first place. They were supposedly once part of the royal family back when Zaphias had some power but these days they were just an old family with a lot of money and art.

"You're saying that there's a lot of people with a motive?"

"No. Whoever did this has real beef."

Blondie's hand slid down to a relatively concealed holster. "Who's to say it's not you Lowell?"

"Didn't I tell you, I'm on vacation. So don't go pulling that and making a scene in a family restaurant." Yuri set himself on the stool next to him making a point to hunch and relax his posture.

Blondie reluctantly pulled his hand away. "I can still arrest you right here and now."

"No, you won't." Yuri took another light sip. "You'd have already tried if you thought you could. I'll give ya points for being more than just a pretty face."

The look of anger as Blondie's face scrunched inward and his eyebrow furled. "Is this all a joke to you?!"

"More a game. Though at the moment I'm not up for a chase so sadly you're going to have to wait before you can play with your big boy cuffs."

"Excuse me!"

Man, he must be new. "Let me put it to you this way when I steal things I let you guys have the opportunity to catch me. It can't be helped if all of you suck at the act."

"You really are as awful as I thought you were." Blondie hissed. "You treat the law like it's just some plaything for you to pull and stretch however you please."

Yuri smirked. "Exactly. That's why you suckers can't catch me."

"Rules should be followed for the sake of protecting everyone's happiness and opportunities for a good life."

"That's bullshit and anyone with half-a-brain knows it." An idea started stirring in his head- yes, that would do. "Hmm… I know I'll rescue the girl first to prove my prove my point. I bet my playing dirty could produce results faster than your squeaky methods."

He blinked aggressively. "Are-you- I- you really are mocking me."

"No, actually I'm quite serious about all this." This all sounded very fun and just what Yuri was looking for. "I mean, as a concerned citizen of the world I'm all for rescuing pretty girls."

"I think I hate you- I mean, I knew didn't like you but, by god, I think I hate you."

He hummed and headed off back to his table waving a hand. Best not stick around in danger longer than he has too. "Well good luck to you."

Yuri headed back to the table with every intent of shoveling down his food and getting them out of here before the idiot got in his head that disturbing the peace needlessly was a good idea. He told everyone to hurry up as he kept an eye on Blondie until they were completely out of the restaurant and back in the car.

"So guys, I know what we're going to do."

* * *

Flynn couldn't quite believe what had happened. He'd actually let Yuri Lowell get away… Why had he frozen up when he'd reached for his handcuffs? He knew of course! The moment he saw that long dark hair and that somewhat narrow nose and grey eyes the various photos on police record went through his brain.

He could have caught him! But, in the back of his head, a voice screamed in denial from how nonchalant and carefree the man was. There was a look in Lowell's eyes that said he knew who Flynn was and he knew how to get out. That this was his domain and that if Flynn meddled in it someone would get hurt and worst part was that crook knew it.

Knew he was the one in control.

How'd he even do that? Flynn was also just absolutely angered at the sheer chutzpah to pull that off in front of him. Flynn shouldn't be cowering because of a criminal who happened to walk like he owned everything. Then the gall to claim he'd rescue Estellise just to prove a point!

Flynn hissed in frustration as he kicked his suitcase while pacing his hotel room. Next time he was arresting Yuri Lowell the moment he came into view!

But it was true what he'd said on the case. The Heurasseins like any rich family had scandals and enemies that at the moment they needed to find and expose who would have a real motive. A proper grudge to hold over them. Someone with old ties or ones so new they related distinctly to the heiress.

Flynn dug through his bag and started pulling out an old history book he'd grabbed on Zaphias and began casually skimming. He was looking for names.

Important ones that could point him in a viable direction to finding this poor kidnapped girl who was probably terrified or at the worst dead. Flynn hoped it wasn't the latter. Everyone he'd talked to about Estellise referred to her as a wonderful woman of true kindness and dreamlike grace. He in the very least wanted to meet her when all was said and done. The fact that she was that type of character lead him quickly to think that this was a familial matter rather than personal.

People like Estellise sadly didn't get such kind notes when they disappeared in Flynn's experience.

His eyes caught sight of a particular bit of writing that peeked his interest. "The noble houses of Zaphias." He looked the names over and jotted them down for reference. He was sadly unfamiliar with the local history of the country but decided to look into the matter.

It could be useful…. Might also help him to find her before Lowell! Ugh, don't think of that asshole as a serious threat! Flynn was a professional and he will not let himself be pushed around by a thief with girly hair.

Stupidly pretty hair! ... It's not fair- why can't his hair be that shiny? It's not that his is ugly but Flynn finds his hair is more fluffy than anything. Geez, why the hell is all just getting under his skin so much?

Focus!

A name stands out among the ledger and he recognizes it rather immediately. "Cumore… They're the family currently holding the most power in Zaphias alongside the Dinoias."

An itch boils under his skin at the names. Well, it appears Flynn has his lead.


	3. Chapter 3

**fel:** **i'm sorry this took so long... and that it's so short**

"You want us to do what?" Karol squawked almost dropping his camera while he took pictures of a decorative fountain.

"We're going to rescue a fine lady from the clutches of evil and then laugh in the face of law enforcement," Yuri says tossing a quarter in his hand a few times before chucking it into the fountain.

Karol rolled his eyes and puffed his chest. "Okay, but why? What did you do?"

Why does everyone have to assume he's at fault in some way for whatever they get up to? Yes, he plans the scheme but rarely has he pissed off the government- Interpol- the owners of his new shiny object- can't forget the banks... what else? Well, there was that one time where he totally dicked around with that 'genius kid detective'- Conrad or something- that one was actually on him…

Look, the point was Yuri doesn't go out his way to make people angry for the majority of his cases… Okay-no, it's closer to a half and half situation but the point is Yuri doesn't always go out his way make their job harder every time.

Just enough.

"Look, I may have pissed off Blondie at the bar who happened to be an Interpol officer and gotten into a bit of a scuffle- nothing violent, but ya know he really pissed me off so I figured- hey why not just shove his morals up his ass!" Yuri thought it was all pretty reasonable terms of action but Karol just glared. "Afterwards we'll go rob a casino. How's that sound?"

"Fine..." Karol leaned back against the fountain edge adjusting his lens. "I better get a big cut."

Raven rolled his eyes muttering something along the lines of, "Same shit as always," before clapping his hands and putting up a huge grin. "Okay, what's there plan here, then?"

Yuri skipped along the fountain's edge before splashing water out onto the sidewalk. "We gather intel, my good men! Figure out who's the likely culprit and then we go snooping about till we have ourselves a grand lead."

"And do you have one to start us on?" Karol asks as he subtly plucks a coin from the fountain.

"Whoever did this doesn't have a grudge on the lady herself." Yuri gestures for them to follow as they continue walking through the rustic streets. "I mean, why would they? She's an upstanding citizen and not to mention has been studying abroad in France for ten years but she disappears shortly after coming home to her family estate. Hardly a coincidence."

His mind briefly drifts back to see that smile of hers on younger face ages ago back when he was just a rambunctious teen out to hit a big score with no rhyme or reason... Even if Blondie wasn't involved he would have run off to save Estelle regardless. "So we've gotta do some digging on the people around here. See who's who and what's what starting with the old families."

Raven gave a small hmm as they turned the corner. "Well that'll narrow it down but what'll we do about actually finding her?"

"Leave it to me." Yuri says flipping out his phone and pressing it to his ear as he waits on the dial tone, "Yo, Patty- Yeah, yeah, long time no call. Hey, I need you to look something up for me. I'll text you the details. " He pinches his nose slightly, "That much? You trying to scalp me?... Busy season, huh. Nah, I'm not mad I'll pay just make it worth my while. Well, just know we're going to be getting down to some fun over in Zaphias so if you feel like it come on by. We could always use another skilled set of hands."

He stops just shy of an empty crosswalk with a red light. "Cool. Cool. Bye."

"Soooooooo," Karol stresses as he pockets the phone away just as Yuri's clicked send. If Yuri's the adult here why does it seem like Karol is his babysitter? "What are we up to?"

"Well, there are really only two families with any power or here say left in Zaphias. Those will be best bets and after that..." He forced a few laughs, "I'm probably right so let's just sit back and wait for Patty to deliver our info. If you want we can just keep looking around. Maybe do some window shopping."

"I dunno. I'd feel bad shoppin' here." Raven hummed and stopped to look at a woman across the street letting out a little whistle. "But, then guess it depends on the merchandise."

Karol rolled his eyes. "Down boy. I will play the gay dads card if I have to."

Yuri heard the fighting behind him but kept walking looking out at the streets and thinking of that old saying about how the more things change the more they stay the same. The bored thief has returned to Zaphias once again.

* * *

If Flynn's honest he's a bit giddy at the prospect of killing two birds with one stone because he'd originally been sent just to find Estellise when the note had been brought to their attention. Leblanc himself had even been a bit disappointed that Flynn would not be participating in this operation but fate smiles on him as he calls up his fellow inspector.

"What? Lowell's there?" Leblanc shouts into the receiver and Flynn holds it a small distance from his ear for his own sanity. Man sure has a strong set of lungs on him.

"Yes, and I have reason to believe he's interested in the treasure mentioned in the note along with Lady Estellise." Flynn had decided he was going to casually nix the part of being the one who got Yuri Lowell into this situation in the first place. It was a little embarrassing to say aloud that an attempt to bait him into capture resulted in the two caught in a race simply because he'd been unable to handcuff the bastard.

"Sounds like him… how'd he find out about that?" Flynn's throat clenched a bit as he quickly fumbled for an excuse.

"Well, ah… I'm sure he has his ways of finding out." Flynn flusters out and is relieved when Leblanc just takes it as is muttering about how annoying that aspect of the thief is. "Anyway Sir, I'm sure you're aware that now that Yuri Lowell has issued a challenge it means we have a good opportunity to catch him. We just have to find Estellise first before him and then it's a matter of setting the trap."

"Well, do what you can right now while I work on getting on the first plane over." He was already plotting out to inspect with the other old families and see what they were hiding. There must be a clue hidden among them and Flynn was going to find and save that poor girl before something awful happened to her.

Besides, like hell is he letting Yuri Lowell of all people show him up!

He's already sent for a warrant so he can start asking and investigating but right now it's matter waiting on approval on the paperwork. That shouldn't take more than a day and yet the wait has him more on edge than usual. Kidnap victims especially worry him in general, but he has no choice but to follow the law for now and wait.

He looks over the files from the crime scene and thinks again about the awful struggle that seems to have happened. From what Flynn knows sometime three days ago at eight o'clock at night Estellise Sidos Heurassein was kidnapped from her family estate on her way to what was likely the study when she was assaulted. Something occurred in the scuffle that resulted in a vase that had been sitting on a nearby pedestal being broken and was likely thrown since there was no blood and the only fingerprints were indeed Estellise's. Sadly, that's the only real clue they have over what happened that night as apparently the Heurassein manner is often empty and the only people who go inside are a biweekly cleaning crew that saw the note pinned to the door with a knife and reported it.

Other than that they really did have nothing. Nothing was stolen and there was no blood or any sort of mess other than that broken decorative vase that was, in fact, one of the various family antiques from the late 1680s. What could they want? Nothing had been forced open in the house and the cleaning crew had assured them that everything was exactly how it always was and that the only part that showed any signs of disturbance was Estellise's bed that was just slightly unmade.

"That estate is the ancestral home so if a stolen treasure was to reside anywhere it would be there but no. It has to be at some other property they own or used to own in the least…" Find the treasure and find Estellise… Or at least that's what Flynn was thinking.

Maybe he's overthinking this a bit but he really lacks a choice.

* * *

In a dark room strapped to a chair a young woman struggles against her bindings desperately again, her wrists are already rubbed raw from previous attempts, but she keeps going till her strength wanes and she needs to stop a moment before resuming.

Her fidgeting stops when the door creaks open letting in a dense beam of light that forces her eyes shut for a moment. The sound of refined leather slapping across marble and then to carpet as the figure approached her lit only by the backlight of the hallway. He always came in like this, needlessly dramatic.

He snapped his fingers and a masked servant scurried over and pulled down her gag and Estelle tried her best to rub the feel of cloth out of her mouth that she was getting used to. "Well, Lady Estellise are you ready to tell us where my family's collection is hidden?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," She groaned in frustration as the bastard repeated himself for the millionth time. "I only know what's in the registries and I've never heard of any of those pieces."

A loud slap echoed the room as he struck her already bruised and battered cheeks and held her face up with his cold silk-gloved hands. Gently gliding his fingers on her skin before spitting in her face, "You disgusting bitch. You're alive right now not out of the graciousness of my heart but by the necessity for a key, but if you test me too long a key will easily be disposed of in exchange for brute force."

He pulled his hands away discarding the gloves on the ground and putting on a new pair a servant handed him. "By the way, that good friend of Yuri's from all those years ago- Lowell the third has arrived much sooner than I hoped." Yuri? "He's bound to come scurrying along very soon to rescue his little princess and when he does he'll lead me right to where I want."

"Why would you want him to rescue me?"

A laugh, "Because I am no idiot! I know the traps and dangers of the vault I just don't know where you hid it. Sadly, I need a thief once I'm inside and your 'connection' with Lowell is perfect to send in once he's been given the right motivation. I can't risk my own men, after all."

"You will talk and Lowell will steal back the works your thieving ancestors took with their grubby hands. It's but a matter of time, princess," he hissed on the last word with a steamed rage as he snapped his fingers and the servants behind her put the tube they were using to force feed her back in as left.

Yuri's not an idiot either. Estelle hasn't seen him since she was a child, but she knows from articles and the few letters she gets with presents on her birthday that Lupin is no idiot. He's a genius thief and he won't be led around so easily by some pompous cousin that seriously felt the need to hit her just to boost his own ego.

But the main problem was that she really didn't know about this supposed secret collection her family had. She remembers her mother saying that they had some pieces that were lost even to them, but she'd never even heard whispers of the Vesperia collection but for some reason, he was obsessed with it and claimed it was stolen.

If Yuri is going to rescue her she hopes he'll come soon so that this mess can be put behind her. Still, it is intriguing all the same. A hidden collection from the era of the Zaphias empire- a vault full of traps and dangers set so that not even her ancestors could enter- the thrill of adventure. Estelle while absolutely scared for her life will not deny that there is an itch of curiosity under her skin that she wishes had been met under better circumstances.

 **fel:** **i'm a mess avoiding responsibility because everything is on fire and i'm screaming at the void and crying over grades**


	4. Chapter 4

**fel: this has just been sitting here on my computer. sorry**

They didn't waste more than a few hours before Yuri decided to drive up to Estelle's manor and check the state of things for himself. He's not good at patience as much as his job really relies on that sort of ability to make a successful heist and while Patty promised his information before the day was out he couldn't stand the idea that Estelle was trapped with whatever kidnapper had her longer than was possible.

Raven gave a whistle at what was essentially a small castle, "What a home. This the old imperial palace or something?"

"Nah, that place is a historical monument near the uppermost levels of Zaphias." Zaphias was a city built on the side of a small mountain range with the building for the rich being built further up than the rest of the city. They'd barely gone up a slight incline to reach the manor that was closer to the Lower Quarter of the city. "This place is old but it's still pretty new as far as the family goes. Maybe a few centuries back."

For a crime scene there's no one around and while the house is marked off that's really the extent of it and it makes a fair amount of sense. They can keep an eye out all they like but the likelihood that Estelle will just show up here is minimal at best. It's easy enough to slip inside through one of the windows since they're all unlocked upon inspection. Geez, no wonder she was kidnapped with how awful this home security is. How did he ever have a problem with this?

"You'd think they'd make it harder to get in," Karol says as he somewhat clumsily hoists himself onto the marble floor. The inside is spotless and there's an immediate sterile wealth in the scrolling on the walls and the light flooding onto the polished floors.

All Yuri can offer is a small shrug as he heads further and further inside the building. It's beautiful, all the art on the walls and the architecture of the house but it feels less like a home and more like an office building that nobody actually wants to work at. It doesn't even feel like a museum or a grave- just building with art inside. No wonder Estelle always wrote about how she never looked forward to coming home.

Yuri peers into all the rooms and notes that somehow there's some curry in the fridge and it's pretty tasty. Hmm, pineapple, no his first thought flavor wise but it works very well.

"What are we looking for, even?" Raven asks as he idly scratched at some of the gold leafing in the doorway to the study proving its authenticity. Clues of any kind- which is vague on the grounds that Yuri's not sure.

It's once they're in the study and Yuri looks out the window that a thought slowly crawls into his head. Well, he hasn't been here in a long time but still... Is it still here? His fingers glide across the bookshelf as he waits for that familiar texture of a hidden lever that's so distinctive once you know it. Third shelf from the right, red book. That should be it. He taps the spine and stops and leaves the room to walk further down the halls. He stares down the paintings and the artifacts before calling to the others that it's time to leave.

"Aw, cm'on!" Karol calls as he's got his hands caught in a jewelry box. "We just got here. Can't we look some more?"

"No." Yuri grabs his hand. "Something's wrong here."

"Like how this place has got a being watched sort of vibe," Raven says as he looks around carefully for invisible eyes that Yuri knows could be there. In near silence, he pulls them out of the house and waits until they're a distance before pulling over in a ditch and pulling out a pair of binoculars. If he's right it should be... No.

"That's not the house," Yuri says stuffing them to the side and looking at the road map and trying to draw on his memory. "Or at least... it's been meddled with. A lot."

Karol tries to spy for what it was that caught Yuri's eyes but it's a mystery to him. "You're talking like you've been there before."

"I have. Back when I first started I decided to cut my teeth on the legendary Heurassein trove and well, let's just say it didn't go too well. I was a dumb kid who thought it be a big fun score and well… Let's just say it wasn't." Yuri laughs as he thinks on how he got tripped up on what in hindsight was a very easy home security system now that he knew better. What has him curious is how the house looks the same and yet there has been clearly some remodeling done if the roof is anything to go by.

"Here's the thing… that house has like nine secret passageways and none of them would open or the trigger was missing." Yuri mutters and tries to figure out a passable reason.

"Houses change," Raven shrugs.

"But that's where they kept the good stuff." Well, this keeps getting better and better. "It's also where I would hide a princess you didn't want anyone to find."

Yuri is intimate with that manor after that first attempt to steal from Estelle and he can safely say that none of those passages are easy to meddle with. The keys are integral for the actual architecture of the house in most cases and are easy to replace if missing otherwise. Someone wants him to know she's not there. Someone wants him to follow a bread trail and he's never liked that sort of situation. Too often it leads him into trouble and means he has to play against more than just the cops as his enemies.

God knows Judith has led him into those sorts of situations more than once whether to potentially play off him for her own greed or because she's gotten herself into a mess she can't hope to weasel out of so easily. Sometimes she just thinks it's fun and while it's usually true it doesn't mean he likes to get involved with them when innocents are on the line.

"Let's wait on Patty before we go charging off into another mansion," Raven starts to pull the car away and Yuri reluctantly nods as he stares back at the house. Estelle... what the hell have you gotten into? He pulls another cigarette from his pack and frowns when he sees it's almost empty. Damn. And you can't get this brand out here.

He hopes Blondie hasn't made that much progress since they last saw each other. It sucks if that guy was ahead of him because Yuri really wanted to rub it in his face. God, it was such a punchable face too. Like some baby-faced Captain America apple pie type hunk wannabe.

Whatever, Yuri's shit at metaphors. Wait, no- that was a simile. Eh, not like anyone cares that much.

Point is that he really wanted to beat Blondie. Probably, should get his name sooner or later if Yuri wants to properly gloat over him it's not like this is Leblanc who just screams his name every five minutes. "Bet it's something stupid."

"You say somethin?" He shakes his head and Raven goes back to the road.

* * *

The warrant was issued and handed to Flynn the next morning and he set out with full intent of catching his lead and Yuri Lowell the third in the process. He'll investigate on the manors of these families and do what he can to pull out the potential skeletons in his closet. Someone was harboring Estelle and with the right poking and prying he'd find her even if they did their best to stash her away while they still had time. Flynn was good at what he did and well, he didn't have the reputation he did for nothing.

He was going to inspect the Cumore household because frankly, Alexei Dinoia was from what he could tell from everyone a pillar in the community to a degree that really nobody could picture anything bad. There's suspicion there obviously because naturally, it's easy to suspect a great person is secretly evil but there's a point where Flynn has learned to not give into paranoia. Most people are not in his experience secretly evil and really just fine people who happen to be on the suspect list. As for this Cumore guy...

He just seemed like a huge dick.

When he'd told the local law enforcement about what he was doing nobody was surprised and one guy just straight up went on a five-minute rant about how Alexander Cumore was basically the worst man in Zaphias and had made a living as a landlord who charged ridiculous rent and seemed to think that for some reason his family name still held even the slightest ounce of clout.

"Like, hello, this is the twenty-first century we are not an empire and more importantly there's no nobility here. Just old rich families almost all of which are nicer than you," Flynn snorted at that comment.

"You think he'd have an ancestral grudge over Estellise?"

"The fucker has been trying to buy out the Heurassein estate for over a decade. He's convinced he needs to reobtain everything that was once owned by the Cumore's by any mean no matter how petty."

"But isn't that house the Heurassein's ancestral home?" Flynn was certain that was what he'd read in the guide book considering a lot of the estates were seen as a bit of a tourist attraction.

"It's not the original. During a war sometime around the sixteenth – maybe seventeenth century – I don't know, who really cares – the Heurassein's original home was lost to a fire and burned down. The ruins are still there under their name but the manor itself was built on land they purchased from the Cumore's."

Flynn stroked chin and wondered if this was all lining up a little too perfectly. "I mean, it can't be that obvious. I wouldn't have been called over if it was." There was almost too much motivation for Flynn to work with. They never make it that easy and when he asked if an inspection had been performed all Flynn got were a bunch of awkward shrugs. A mix of yeses but no conclusive evidence and that's why they were hoping that Flynn would find something. They were certain Cumore at the very least knew something about Estellise kidnapping.

When he asked Leblanc about it after picking him up from the airport the inspector pulled at his facial hair and leaned far back into his chair. "He'll be useful no matter what his stance really is in the case if Lowell's involved."

"Sir?"

"Lowell probably is already looking for information probably even has his by now and in that case, he'll come snooping there too. Estellise is our primary concern but if you can lay down a trap do it."

"Do you think he did it? Cumore, I mean."

"Who's to say. It's certainly all convenient."

Flynn enjoyed the ride up to the Cumore mansion and really mansion felt like a woefully incorrect word. This was closer to a small castle much like the Heurassein manor. They needed better ways to classify giant houses. Flynn was let in the gate and as he stepped out into the immaculate garden and strode up to a door that bordered on being ridiculous in terms of scale. For the life of him, Flynn had never been able to understand that aspect of rich people.

Who really needs doors that big? More importantly doesn't it get annoying when you need to lock up. It's like using the garage door to get into the house only the remote never works. It just doesn't seem worth it.

The servant who leads them in is a stuffy looking old man with a face that seems allergic to smiling. The place is very different from Estellise's home that while rather unlived in was warm and bright. This place... Flynn half expected to find out this Alexander Cumore guy was actually a vampire because by god open a window, somebody! It was absolutely ridiculous how much this place looked like the set in a horror film.

After turning past corners lined with portraits of old ancestors that seemed to watch from their frames they were presented with a foyer where a man in an Armani suit sat drinking tea or maybe coffee in a plush leather chair. The cup was set down with a rather loud 'clank' as Cumore stood up and gave a large grin that curdled Flynn's stomach.

"Ah, you must be the inspectors! Here to send the rabble to pillage through my stuff. Again." The man spoke with such snobbery and disdain as he looked at them. He leered behind as they went around the property. Flynn looked through every nook and cranny letting his fingers idly trail over walls as he pressed for any hidden passages or places one might be able to store a young girl.

"Mr. Cumore I was told by various people around town that you have been in pursuit of the Heurassein estate for some time now."

"Yes." Cumore sneers as Flynn knocks on a wall and notes that this one is hollow. "It has been an effort I've been trying to settle for a long time."

Flynn looks around for anything that could be a switch because he's come across a secret door or two in his time as an inspector. "Is it not true then that you stand to benefit in all this."

Cumore's expressions sours, "Ugh, this again." Flynn narrows his brow as he watches Cumore fold his arms in disgust. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you lowbred scum about land ownership but this is the exact opposite of anything I would ever want for myself."

"Really?"

"Zaphias land laws state that any property of extreme historical significance with no active private household ready to take over it will not be put up for auction but instead will be taken by the state and added to the collection of the historical preservation society." Cumore scoffs, "Frankly if the young miss doesn't turn up that property is out of my reach."

Sadly, that does all make sense and it had been what Flynn had been a little afraid of. A man with all the motive usually has a fatal flaw. "Not even mentioning, that if this was ever going to benefit me why would I leave a note? I know in saying this I incriminate myself but really, if I was going to do this I would have just killed her."

Flynn's not sure what to make of the fact Cumore has almost a smile on his face as he says those last words but he's definitely unsettled.

It's unfortunate to say but a whole day's worth of digging gets him nowhere. When asked if Cumore believed anyone had a grudge or an idea of a stolen Heurassein treasure the man just laughs darkly. "That family is one of disgusting thieves who desperately cling to finer titles than they deserve. Everything they have is stolen."

"But what do you believe is the stolen item?"

"I haven't the faintest idea." Flynn's eyebrow twitched and he could swear he smelled excrement.

Flynn left with a scowl on his face. Leblanc shook his head in frustration as well. It was practically a waste of time.


	5. Chapter 5

**fel: I skipped class to write fanfiction... but it's fine because nothing was going on in that class anyway. Literally all we were going to do was watch TV shows. I have so little care for this class at this point. I have more important classes**

In the dim light of the office, the keys of Patty's keyboard clacked on the keys. A smell of squid and coffee lingered in the air mixed with the sweat of three days of nonstop work. This was the state that Patty's office was usually in and especially so during rush times. Her teeth bit into dry squid as she pushed her chair away from the desk and let herself roll to the cabinet for files.

She knows it's outdated but she likes the paper trail. It makes the broker business feel more official. Her fingers glide over the papers as she leafs through the familiar file that she's made for one client in particular. Well, in all honesty, Yuri Lowell has his own cabinet.

He's one of her best customers and frankly, Patty would likely not be able to do this full time without him. Thank god for greedy son of guns. Grabbing her papers and she pushes back over to her computer and starts typing again.

Really though if he wasn't such an important client, she'd let him wait a week because she does need some sleep. "Wonder if I can ply a date out of him?" It's mostly a joke. She switches between different tabs and monitors as she works on her currently three different projects. God, when is she gonna get something that's going to actually require leg work?

It's been ages and frankly, she needs to get out. The information age is great and all but there's such a thing as doing to much work for her. Plus, her hands want to get sticky themselves and if what she sees in Zaphias is any indication something interesting is going to be going down there.

Her teeth tear another bite and she slowly chews on the strip while it dangles from her chin. A hidden treasure... Definitely exciting. She dials up on her landline, yes old fashion but Patty likes to play with the cord while she talks, waiting for the familiar buzz of the phone on the other line. This was so much more personal than just doing everything through emails.

"Yo Patty, you have it already?" Her hands graze of the keyboard as she organizes the information for her other client. "That was fast. I was worried you'd take at least three days."

She smirks. "What ya take me for Hubby? If I say I can have it soon it's gonna be fuckin' soon."

She enjoys the small chuckle from the other end of the line. "So, what are we looking at?"

Patty shuts the tab and opens another. "Honestly, I'm not sure what kinda mess ya decided to throw yerself into this time but- woo, this one is messy."

"Oh?"

Her left hand idly starts to twirl the phone cord and she looks at her hand thinking about how nice a diamond ring from a certain thief might be, "I was looking all night and I have next to know leads. No motives. Hell, I can't even tell ya what this treasure might even be."

"That bad?"

Patty clicks her tongue, "Oh yes." She looks down at her notes, "Nobody has probable cause for wanting this girl gone and frankly I can't see what good that note would do them because everything in Heurassein in collections is set to go to conservation and restoration groups in the event of there being no heir. Even then, what they have is impressive but not enough to kidnap a girl when you could just hire a regular thief given security."

"So it's like I thought." She hears the sigh in his voice.

"Mhhmm?"

"This is a set up to get me or someone like me to find whatever the hell this piece is."

Patty lets her head hang off the back of her chair. "Yep. Only thing I could think up. Surprised they didn't just fake one of your calling cards, to begin with."

"Eh, probably because they know I don't really respond to those anymore. Not since the last guy anyway." Right, something about an evil organization on a yacht or something. "But what I want to know is what leads you got?"

Patty hummed, "Ehh, like I said not much." She wraps her bare feet around the cable. "But, I'll spill it all for you gorgeous."

"Patty quit teasing me. You're giving me blue balls over here and I'm dying to get my hands on some info." Always such a kidder. And besides between the two of them, Patty's balls are way bluer. Ten years and she's never even gotten a kiss from that hunk of man.

"All right, all right. Here's the tea, the Heurassein household currently is being pursued by this Landshark," She hears a hum from the other end, "Now, this guy ain't really got a reason to want her gone but there is something to note."

"Being?"

"He wants to change the regulation on current Zaphias laws regarding historical conservation. Thinks the state gets too much of it and not enough is in the private sector which is actually a fairly reasonable opinion given everything."

"I'm sensing a 'but' there."

"Aye, so here's the but, BUT," She spun a little in her chair, "The big thing with this guy has expressed is how much he dislikes the family's collection. He's even expressed that he thinks the Heurasseins have a whole secret trove they've been hiding."

"How secret?"

She grins, "So secret it makes the Maris Stella look like a gift shop curio."

"Interesting."

"I can't say what it is, but like I said, looking through everything in the current registry in the Heurassein vault even the stuff that is 'off record' nothing in there is worth all this hassle."

She reaches for a bag of gel candies on the desk and pops one in her mouth. "So Patty, where do you think the bread trail is leading?"

Patty chews on the gel creating a loud smacking sound with her lips, "Well, I can't say what you're looking for but I'm sending ya to a local expert who should. This lady knows everything there is to know about the country and I think she can help get ya goin."

"Oh, come on you can't just say this stuff?"

She rolls her eyes well aware that Yuri can't see her but bored and a little miffed all the same. "What da ya take me for an encyclopedia? Look, I got ya all this shit on short notice and I have two different mobs that need their information in the next eight hours. I'm sorry I didn't have time to read the entire sorted and collective history of a nation." Seriously, kids these days. "Look, I already set an appointment with this chick. Her name's Rita Mordio and I swear she can get ya what you need way faster than I can right now, but I will keep digging and see if I can pick up any more leads. I'm also sending you an email to look over."

"Thanks, Patty. What I ever do to deserve someone as lovely as you?"

For starters, you can attempt to steal a family treasure that her grandfather spent his entire life perusing and do it so smoothly and elegantly that falling for the jerk was inevitable.

Also, have a tight ass that's absolutely spankable.

"Oh Yuri, you say that to literally all the girls. I know. I have a file for that sort of thing."

"Aw come on, I'm not that bad!"

Patty tugs at the cord. "You are terrible! But, that's also part of the charm."

"Hey, also about Blondie?"

"Oh, hottie McIrish name? Got you covered. I sent his file to you from Interpol. Your new boy toy has quite the record."

"He's Irish?" Aw, come on just take the bait and play with her once.

"I dunno, but Flynn Scifo sure sounds it."

"Thanks for info Patty. I mean it when I say you're welcome to join."

She goes back to her other tabs on the computer, "I'm definitely considering it. Oh yeah, one more thing, Mordio's pretty picky about who she meets so…"

"I got it. Ah, I just thought of some fun I could have with Blondie."

"Don't have too much. I'm starting to get jealous."

* * *

Flynn wasn't sure it was useful to drive three hours just to see some art historian but Leblanc had come in early in the morning and told him to get in the car while they drove over to Aspio, one of the few cities in this tiny nation.

He was still tired from his work last night and even with the nap on the way over. Leblanc had claimed that in a situation like this the best thing to do to get ahead of Lowell was to get the information on whatever historical artifact was the center of all this. It made sense but he wished they could have just done a phone call.

The museum that Rita Mordio works at is an old mausoleum that was repurposed into in the 14th century into a church of all things before finally becoming what is today. From what he understood if anyone was an expert in the history of Zaphias it was her.

"You really think she'll know what the treasure will be?" He asked while Leblanc explained to the man at the desk what was going on.

There's a beautiful statue missing its head in the center made of marble. The description on the plaque mentioned a goddess of war once worshiped on a former coastal city. Apparently, it was damaged in world war one and there are some artist's sketches showing what the head of Belius might have looked like.

There are quite a few pieces of jewelry too that apparently priests once wore claiming they bestowed supernatural abilities. It's always interesting to what older civilizations came up with over the years with the hindsight now granted.

"Hey, you!" A shrill voice breaks the silence from across the museum. The woman who comes out looks to be rather young to his surprise but perhaps it's just the way she's dressed. It's not entirely professional for someone with such an important position but eccentrics will be eccentrics.

"You're those Interpol cops I heard about?"

"Yes. I'm Inspector Leblanc and this Officer Flynn Scifo and-"

"I don't care. Just hurry up," Rita said walking away leading them to chase, "I have a lot to do and my free time is valuable."

They were led down through the odd and strange shifting turns from the buildings old identity going down flights of steps till they were in a basement area that seemed more of an office space for research than any part of the museum.

Awkwardly Leblanc paused and stopped, "Ah could I ask where the restroom is?"

"Down the hall, to the right, just follow the signs," Her fingers turned on a key that had been left in the lock to the room labeled as her office as Flynn stepped in. She gestured to a chair before slumping herself down in a desk that had a stack of papers next to a microscope. A lamp on the desk was lit and a magnifying glass was brought over a page as Rita focused on that. "Okay, so what do you want? This is Linear C Geraios and it's my prime focus right now unless you start talking."

Flynn straightened himself in his seat just as Leblanc came in and took the one next to him, "I'm sure you've heard about the kidnapping of Estellise Heurassein?"

"Yes." She stiffens and a frown pulls on her lips, "I have. Unfortunately. But I doubt you came all this way for that."

Leblanc gripped his chin, "Ma'am were you acquainted with the victim?"

A sigh, "Estelle and I were penpals for years. I met her several times at functions and events due to work and we decided to keep in touch. So yeah, I'm upset about this."

"Thank you for your honesty," Leblanc pulled out a duplicate of the note from the scene and set it down, "This was left at the scene of the crime and currently it's our biggest lead. We were hoping you could shed some light on this."

She quirked a brow as she looked the note over, "I don't know what you think I can tell you on something so vague but I'll try."

"Just do what you can Miss Mordio," Flynn assured as he gave a brief rundown on their current belief that whatever this was had to be tied to some particular treasure. Something rare and important that they couldn't figure out on their own.

The tapping increases as she leans back in her chair and crosses her arms. A clear turning of gears as she thinks it over, "I mean, nothing really stands out."

"What about something off the beaten path? It doesn't even need to be confirmed."

There's a long silence and Flynn is worried that this really will turn out to be a complete waste of time before Rita speaks up.

"The Vesperia Collection," she breathes out and Leblanc leans forward in his chair with a small 'oh'. Rita turns and around to her computer and quickly pulls up images that appear to be part of an old manuscript of some sort.

"It was originally thought to belong to the first dynasty of the Zaphias royal family." An image of an old and rather geometric drawing of what he thinks is a sword is pulled up on the screen, "They were originally the regalia but somewhere along the way they became lost and were presumed stolen…"

Slowly Rita weaves for them the tale of the original Zaphias royal family and how in a civil war they were uprooted and the castle was looted with the regalia stolen. Considering at the time the items were tied with their original pagan beliefs it was taken as an ill omen and a desperate search was set out to no avail.

It was lost to the world and shortly after Zaphias was thrown into decades of internal turmoil.

"We only recently learned of its existence a few years ago but it's by far the rarest thing anyone could own."

"And you think there's a connection?"

A nod, "We don't know much about the collection, but it does actually appear beyond its earliest appearance. Usually, there's some sort of strife involved but interestingly enough there is an implication that this item was stolen from historical family to historical family."

"So you think that's the theft they're referring to?"

"I mean, anything else they have while valuable wouldn't warrant a hostage situation like this. Not to mention," Rita then holds up the card and points to the ornate border around the card, "I had to think about it but these are clearly references to the symbol of Vesperia that appears in all the documents on record we have."

This leads to the obvious question of how they're even supposed to find it and Rita gives an awkward shrug. "I'm an expert in Zaphian history, not a miracle worker. You guys are on your own. I'll give anything that might be a clue or whatever but again- no guarantees."

Great. So a lead but still nothing in any real account.

Once everything is gathered and collected Flynn offers her a hand that goes ignored as she goes back to being obsessed with her work. As they exit, she yells if they get any leads on where the collection might be to call her, "This is the discovery of a lifetime and I'm not missing out."

Once in the car, Leblanc looks over the papers carefully before handing them off to him. At least they'll have time to think this whole matter over. It's as they're driving though that Flynn realizes something is off. Leblanc turns on the radio which is bizarre because he knows that Leblanc doesn't like to drive with music on and then…

He places the papers in the glove compartment, "So, Inspector," he gets a hum, "when in the world did you put on those gloves?"

Leblanc stiffens and lets out a laugh, "Ah, what are you talking about? I was wearing these the whole time."

"Sure you were," Flynn lowers his hand towards holster- it's empty!

"If you're looking for this," he looked behind him towards the source of the voice to see a small child that he remembers Yuri had been with at the restaurant holding his gun, "I pocketed it awhile ago. It's also empty."

Flynn looked between the two of them before lunging towards the fake Leblanc. The car swerved on the empty road as he tried to take the wheel. The kid pulled him back with surprising strength having him grab fake Leblanc's face instead revealing the older man from that night as well.

"You're not Yuri!"

"Well yeah, he's too tall for Leblanc."

Flynn tries to wrestle the kid off while not plunging the car into a ditch but this kid is slippery and before he realizes his hands are handcuffed behind the car seat. "Let go of me!"

"Why?"

He pulls his wrists desperately against the cuffs along with kicking at the driver. "Hey! Ya trying to get us killed?!"

"Where's inspector Leblanc?"

"Don't worry, he's just back in the museum taking a nap."

Oh- these fuckers! Flynn is going to slug Yuri as soon as he gets out of these cuffs. What the hell was this even for? He doesn't cease his glaring as the car keeps on driving down the road for what feels like hours before they pull to a stop on the side of the road next to another car.

Yuri steps out and looms at him from the window with a shit-eating grin. Oh, he wants to punch him so badly!

Fake Leblanc steps out and hands the papers to Yuri. "Well, definitely got ourselves a lead here."

"Nice!" The passenger door opens. "Yo, Blondie! You have a nice ride?

"I'm gonna fucking kill you Lowell!"

"Ya know," Yuri strokes his chin, "that hate boner you have is uber sexy." Flynn wished he could flip him off be he settled for attempting to kick at Yuri but his foot just ended up caught in his grip.

"What the hell was even the point of this?"

A casual shrug, "To fuck with you mostly." Yeah, he's gonna punch him in his pretty face bloodied when he gets out. The sweet saccharine grin he gives him further boils his blood, "Aw, you're so cute glaring like that."

"You are the very definition of unpleasant."

He slaps the roof of the car, "Anyway, thanks kindly for helping us get this info."

"Let me go, you asshole!"

Yuri waves as he walks away, "I promise that I'll call for a pickup for you and Pops in a few hours if you can't get out by then."

"Let me out now!"

Another laugh as he stands next to the passenger seat door, "Now, why would I do that when I'm getting ahead?"

And as the car drives off Flynn thought about how to Yuri this was a game.

 _Fine, that's your move! When I get out I'm making mine._

 **fel: you could say it's a quest for the collectors edition...**


End file.
